Tony Winners Kelli O'Hara & Sutton Foster Added to Broadway Concert Series at Kimmel Center

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, in partnership with Mark Cortale, has added two new leading ladies to the line-up of Seth Rudetsky's Broadway Concert Series, for the 2015-16 season. Performances by Tony-Award winners Kelli O'Hara and Sutton Foster have been added due to popular demand, completing the roster of Broadway powerhouses to perform with Sirius XM star Seth Rudetsky. The series kicks off with Tony-Award winner Audra McDonald on Wednesday, October 7. Additional performances in the series will take place on Friday, January 29 (Kelli O'Hara), Thursday, March 3 (Sutton Foster), and as previously announced, Thursday, May 5 (Megan Hilty). All performances will be held at the Merriam Theater at 8:00 p.m. In this unique series, Rudetsky will serve as pianist and host, engaging in intimate and witty conversations with the Broadway stars, all while presenting an evening of stellar performances of musical theater favorites.

"Our Broadway Philadelphia audiences have spoken, and we listened!" says Anne Ewers, President & CEO of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. "Philadelphia loves theater, and the caliber of talent in this new series is superb. Audiences will, without a doubt, enjoy these intimate encounters with Broadway's brightest stars and the hilariously funny Seth Rudetsky! "

Producer Mark Cortale has quickly made the Broadway Series with Seth Rudetsky the single most sought-after ticket to see Broadway's musical mega-stars like Patti LuPone, Cheyenne Jackson and Megan Mullally in concert. Originally launching the series in 2011 at Provincetown's Art House, its success has most recently led to runs in London, Sydney, Melbourne, New Orleans, Santa Monica, Fort Lauderdale, Detroit, San Antonio, San Francisco and now Philadelphia.

Tickets for the Audra McDonald and Megan Hilty shows are available now by calling 215-893-1999, online at kimmelcenter.org, at the Kimmel Center Box Office. Tickets for the Kelli O'Hara and Sutton Foster shows will be available on Friday, October 9. Discounts are available for groups of ten (10) or more people.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Seth Rudetsky, termed "The Mayor of Broadway" by The New York Times, is the afternoon host on Sirius XM Radio's "On Broadway" as well as the host of "Seth Speaks" on Sirius XM Stars. As a pianist, Seth has played for more than a dozen Broadway shows including "Ragtime," "Les Miz" and "Phantom." He was the Artistic Producer/Music Director for the first five annual Actors Fund Fall Concerts including Dreamgirls with Audra McDonald and HAIR with Jennifer Hudson. In 2007 he made his Broadway acting debut playing Sheldon (singing "Magic to Do" in a devastating unitard) in The Ritz directed by Joe Mantello for The Roundabout Theater. As an author, he penned the non-fiction Q Guide to Broadway, the novel Broadway Nights and the recently published My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan. Seth played himself on "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," was the vocal coach on MTV's Legally Blonde reality show and starred opposite Sutton Foster in They're Playing Our Song for the Actors Fund. Recently, he co-wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed Disaster!, a 1970's disaster movie musical which is now slated to transfer to Broadway in 2015. His book Seth's Broadway Diary, was ranked as a number one bestseller on Amazon.com and his most recent offering The Rise and Fall of Theater Geek was published by Random House this past June.

Audra McDonald is a Broadway star like no other, winner of a record-setting six Tony Awards as well as two Grammy Awards. She is an artist The New York Times called "... a one-of-a-kind musical super-talent". McDonald was also featured on ABC's Private Practice for five seasons, along with many other television guest appearances. In the small world category, Rudetsky played for McDonald's Julliard School audition (she was accepted). McDonald will be returning to the Broadway stage in April 2016 with director George C. Wolfe and dancer/choreographer Savion Glover in the musical Shuffle Along, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, a new retelling of an original musical by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle.

Sutton Foster won two Tony Awards for her leading roles in "Anything Goes" and "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and starred in the ABC Family TV series "Bunheads." She has just returned to TV this past spring as the star of the hit new series "Younger" on TV Land by "Sex and the City" creator Darren Star, to rave reviews. She recently starred in the revival of Andrew Lippa's "The Wild Party" for Encores at City Center this past July. She was nominated for another Tony Award in Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley musical "Violet" at New York's Roundabout Theatre in 2014. Sutton Foster has starred on Broadway in "The Will Rogers Follies," "Grease," "The Scarlet Pimpernel," "Annie," and "LES MISERABLES" before her big break and Tony Award-winning performance in "Thoroughly Modern Millie." She has since then originated roles in the Broadway productions of "Little Women," "The Drowsy Chaperone," "Young Frankenstein," and "Shrek the Musical." She recently starred as Reno Sweeney in The Roundabout's revival of "Anything Goes," a role that earned her the 2011 Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, Astaire, and Broadway.com's Audience Favorite Awards.

Kelli O'Hara has unequivocally established herself as one of Broadway's great leading ladies. Her portrayal of Anna Leonowens in the critically acclaimed revival of The King and I recently garnered her a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, along with Drama League and Outer Critics nominations. 2014 was an exceptionally busy year. Her performance as Francesca in the musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County earned her Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle nominations. Additionally, she starred as Mrs. Darling in NBC's live telecast of "Peter Pan" alongside Allison Williams and Christian Borle, and on New Year's Eve, Kelli made her Metropolitan Opera debut in the production of The Merry Widow with Renee Fleming.

Megan Hilty is likely best known as the actual "Bombshell" star of the NBC-TV series Smash. She has also appeared on Broadway as Glinda in Wicked and opposite Allison Janney and Stephanie Block in the musical comedy adaptation of 9 to 5, as well as a guest star on many television dramas and comedies. A wonderful vocalist as well as gifted actress, Hilty will return to Broadway this winter in the new revival of the slapstick farce classic Noises Off with Andrea Martin.

Mark Cortale is the Producing Artistic Director at The Art House in Provincetown, Massachusetts. In his inaugural season in 2011, he founded the Broadway @ The Art House series featuring Seth Rudetsky as host and pianist. This summer Mark launched the Broadway @ Town Hall series in Provincetown that includes concerts with Seth starring Rosie O'Donnell, Neil Patrick Harris & David Burtka, Matthew Broderick & Sarah Jessica Parker, Audra McDonald & Will Swenson, Jane Krakowski and Vanessa Williams. He also founded Well-Strung, The Singing String Quartet and has produced their stage shows, their two CDs and their music videos. He has produced the Broadway @ series hosted by Seth in Australia (with Megan Mullally) and in London's West End (with Patti LuPone) at the Leicester Square Theatre. The series recently launched in San Francisco @ The Nourse Theatre, in Santa Monica @ The Broad Stage, in Fort Lauderdale @ The Broward's Parker Playhouse and in New Orleans @ NOCCA. Mark also produced the feature film Varla Jean and the Mushroomheads.

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